TO: Honorable Mayor & Members of the North Port Commission
FROM: A. Jerome Fletcher II, ICMA-CM, MPA, City Manager
TITLE: An Ordinance of the City of North Port, Florida, Amending the Central Parc at North Port (Activity Center 9) Pattern Plan to Revise the Buffer Plan; Amending Article III, Table 3.3.1.2: Dimensional Standards and Article IV, Development Standards of the Unified Land Development Code to Reference the Amended Central Parc at North Port Pattern Plan; Providing for Findings; Providing for Conflicts; Providing for Severability; Providing for Codification; and Providing an Effective Date. (QUASI-JUDICIAL).
Recommended Action
Option 1: Approve Ordinance No. 2025-28 including approval of the amended buffer plan as presented by the Applicant; denying the grant of Waivers 1 and 2; denying the change proposed to the buffer adjacent to Lake 13; and requiring the buffers adjacent to Lakes 5, 9 and 13 to meet the planting/screening specifications of a Type 2 buffer; and continue to second reading on October 28, 2025.
City Commission Options
Option 1: Approve Ordinance No. 2025-28 including approval of the amended buffer plan as presented by the Applicant; denying the grant of Waivers 1 and 2; denying the change proposed to the buffer adjacent to Lake 13; and requiring the buffers adjacent to Lakes 5, 9 and 13 to meet the planting/screening specifications of a Type 2 buffer; and continue to second reading on October 28, 2025.
• Pros:
o Allows unobstructed enjoyment of lake views by surrounding communities, while maintaining adequate screening in place in locations where necessary for compatibility.
o Screening/Planting requirements for buffers are only reduced where lakes add additional open space separation between like uses of over 180’ +/-.
o Adequate protections put in place to meet the requirements of the 2010 Unified Land Development Code (ULDC).
• Cons:
o Reduces previous commitments for buffer screening along vast areas of the project’s perimeters.
o Enjoyment of lake views by surrounding communities may not be a valid reason for reduction in previous commitments for buffering.
o Substantial reduction in tree planting within the project, which limits benefits related to mitigating heat island effect, shaded public space, and other ecological enhancements from trees.
Option 2: Approve no further changes to the buffer plan as approved via Ordinance 2019-09.
• Pros:
o Maintains previous commitments for buffer screening.
o Enjoyment of lake views by surrounding communities may not be a valid reason for reduction in previous commitments for buffering, especially given that public comments received is mixed.
o Reduces incompatibilities between non-residential uses and residential uses, and residential uses of varying densities.
o Retains higher number of trees within the project, which provides numerous benefits including mitigation of heat island effect, shaded public space, and other ecological enhancements from trees.
• Cons:
o While neighborhood input received on this varies, this restricts views of the lakes from surrounding properties.
Option 3: Approve the buffer plan along with waivers, as presented by the Applicant.
• Pros:
o While neighborhood input received on this varies, this allows unobstructed enjoyment of lake views by surrounding communities.
• Cons:
o Reduces previous commitments for buffer screening along vast areas of the project’s perimeters.
o Does not maintain adequate screening in place in locations where necessary for compatibility.
o Reduces buffer protections put in place beyond the requirements of the 2010 ULDC.
o Substantial reduction in tree planting within the project, which limits benefits related to mitigating heat island effect, shaded public space, and other ecological enhancements from trees.
General Information
On July 5, 2024, the Planning and Zoning Division of the City of North Port received an application to amend the Central Parc at North Port Pattern Plan and to request two (2) waivers from the 2010 ULDC. As this application was submitted before the new ULDC was adopted on October 28, 2024, it has been evaluated in accordance with the provisions of the 2010 ULDC.
Central Parc is built on the former Sabal Trace Golf Course, which ceased operations in 2015. Currently undergoing revitalization, this site is classified as a brownfield area and spans approximately 207 acres. It is located in Activity Center 9 (AC-9), north of Tamiami Trail (US-41) and west of South Sumter Boulevard. AC-9 is designed to encourage infill development, offering a mix of low- and medium-density residential options, senior living facilities, retail and storage spaces, medical offices, and neighborhood commercial establishments. This diverse blend intends to meet the needs of surrounding communities while ensuring a convenient connection to the residential and commercial areas along the US-41 corridor.
Since its inception Central Parc has undergone a series of approvals, including a large-scale Comprehensive Plan Amendment (CPAL-18-060), Text Amendment (TXT-18-179), Rezone (REZ-18-070), Development Master Plan (DMP-18-071), Infrastructure Plan (INF-20-048), Subdivision Plan (SCP-20-047), and the Phase I and Phase II plats (PLF-23-167 & PLF-24-145).
The Future Land Use Designation has recently been changed to Activity Center 9 as part of the 2024 Citywide Large Scale Comprehensive Plan Amendment. Additionally, the Citywide rezone led to a name change of the zoning district from Planned Community Development (PCD) to Activity Center 9 (AC-9), thereby aligning the zoning with the updated future land use designation. It is essential to note that these changes do not alter the approved land uses or vested entitlements for the Central Parc development.
Since there is no formal procedure for modifying a Pattern Plan, this will be treated as an amendment to the Development Master Plan via an Ordinance, given that the original Pattern Plan was adopted through Ordinance 2019-09. Furthermore, because Ordinance 2019-09 is incorporated by reference in the 2024 adopted ULDC, it is also necessary to amend the ULDC. The proposed Pattern Plan Amendment seeks to revise the approved buffer plan. There are three (3) major changes proposed.
• Remove plantings along the back edges of lakes 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 16, and 17. These changes would affect adjacent existing developments, including single-family homes, two-family homes, and multi-family residences.
• The Applicant is requesting two waivers from Section 21-9, Table 1, of the 2010 Unified Land Development Code (ULDC). These waivers concern the types of perimeter buffers that are required next to existing uses.
• Lastly, the Applicant asks that the perimeter buffering abutting Mixed-Use Area 1 and Mixed-Use Area 2 follow the 2010 ULDC regulations based on the final use, which will be determined when the Site Development and Infrastructure Plans are submitted in the future.
Waiver Requests:
Waiver 1: Requests relief from ULDC Section 21-9, Table 1, Buffers, which requires a Type B buffer consisting of a 10’ wide buffer with one tree every 50’ and shrubs between the proposed Single-Family/Two-Family and existing multi-family. The waiver applies to approximately 450 feet of the boundary around Lake 5 between the Colony at Sabal Trace condominiums and Central Parc. The Applicant is requesting to eliminate any required plantings within the buffer adjacent to the lake, to allow the neighboring condominium residents an unobstructed view of the lake.
Waiver 2: Requests relief from ULDC Section 21-9, Table 1, Buffers, which requires a Type B buffer consisting of a 10’ wide buffer with one tree every 50’ and shrubs between the proposed Single-Family/Two-Family and existing multi-family. The waiver pertains to approximately 275 feet of the perimeter boundary between Fairway Villas and Central Parc, surrounding Lake 9. The Applicant is requesting to eliminate any required plantings within the buffer adjacent to the lake, proposing that existing preserved mature oaks in the buffer area provide needed buffering between the uses.
Ordinance No. 2025-28 has been reviewed and approved by the Interim City Attorney and is legally correct as to form.
Notice of Public Hearings were mailed to the Central Parc owner and property owners within a 1,320-foot radius of the subject property on September 2, 2025. The petition was also advertised in a newspaper of general circulation within the City of North Port on September 2, 2025, in accordance with the provisions of Section 166.041(3)(a), Florida Statutes and Section 7.01(c) of the Charter of the City of North Port, and Chapter 1, Article II, Section 1-12 of the City’s Unified Land Development Code (ULDC) as amended.
Pursuant to Florida Statutes Section 166.041(4)(c), a Business Impact Estimate was not required because Ordinance No. 2025-28 is enacted to implement Comprehensive Plan Amendments and Land Development Regulation Amendments initiated by an application by a private party other than the municipality.
The Planning and Zoning Advisory Board held a hearing on September 18, 2025. The Board voted unanimously, 7-0, to recommend approval of Petition No. PMCPA-24-00000114 (Formerly DMA-24-114) via Ordinance No. 2025-28 as presented by the applicant, without the grant of Waivers 1 and 2, and the change proposed to the buffer adjacent to Lake 13. Buffers adjacent to Lakes 5, 9, and 13 shall meet the planting/screening specifications of a Type 2 buffer.
Attachments:
1. Ordinance No. 2025-28
2. Staff Report with Exhibits
3. Staff Presentation
4. PZAB Action Report
Prepared by: Sherry Willette, Planner III, Development Services Department
Lori Barnes, AICP, CPM, Deputy Director, Development Services Department
Department Director: Alaina Ray, AICP, Director, Development Services Department